Drink this now: a rum cocktail from the Independence in Santa Monica

Mulling over the name of a cocktail is almost as fun as drinking it. Hey, we said almost. When it comes to Vincenzo Marianella, the renaissance bartender behind Copa d’Oro and the Independence, there’s a special method for choosing cocktail names. And it involves iTunes.

“The name is the most difficult thing for me,” said Marianella. “So I scroll through the titles of songs on Itunes and if I see one I like, I name it that.”

And so it goes with his latest cocktail, the One Way Out, served at the Independence. It’s named after the Allman Brothers Band song from their 1972 album, “Eat a Peach.”

“I noticed we didn’t have a stirred rum cocktail on the menu, so I made one,” Marianella said.

The cocktail is a mix of Amaro Lucano, Amaro Nonino, grappa and dark Jamaican rum with a couple of dashes of Peychauds bitters and the Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter bitters. The drink is served with a single square ice cube and an orange peel.

It’s incredibly smooth, with a deep rum flavor and notes of spicy dried citrus from the bitters, and ideal for sipping at the bar while you wait for your blind date — not that we’re speaking from experience or anything.

The first round is on me. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Jenn_Harris_

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